“We respect Mr. Staples’s status as a disabled veteran and the sacrifices he has made for our country,” the statement read. “We can only hope that Mr. Staples will stay at a Best Western hotel in the future, as our guest, and afford us an opportunity to express our gratitude.”

Craig Smith, a Best Western spokesman, said the hotel chain planned to issue another statement later Friday.

But Staples, who lives in North Carolina and could not be reached for comment Friday, isn’t satisfied with an apology, however. He wants “major policy changes,” his father said.

“This corporation needs to make major changes in how they do things,” Robert Staples said. “He was adamant — this isn’t about money. He wants things changed.”

Staples said the hotel employee — identified in news reports as Holly Oyerbides — could have offered extra help or explained to his son that she could not leave the hotel’s front desk.